Ekran System List of Frequently Asked Questions User Activity Monitoring Where can I perform user activity monitoring? User activity monitoring is performed via the Ekran System Monitor. It provides an easy-to-use Player where you are able to view each screen capture separately or automatically one by one. What kind of users is able to perform user activity monitoring? Users to which Administrator or Supervisor roles have been assigned in the Administrative Panel are able to perform user activity monitoring. You can assign these roles to any Windows user. Is it possible to find the needed information in the Ekran System sessions quickly? Yes, it is. For this we created quick search and parameterized search features. It is possible to perform searches by the following parameters: application name, user that was logged in the system during screen capture creation, name of the computer with installed Client, date of the session start, date of the session finish, date of the last made screen capture, and type of the session (Live or not live session). To perform searches even more quickly, you can easily save your required search parameters. How can I switch quickly between found search results? To switch quickly between found search results use the Previous/Next buttons located under the Player in the Ekran System Monitor. blue control Can I save found search results?
You are able to generate a report to export search results to a separate file. The report is generated in the *.xls format.search results report includes information on all found sessions. The following data is included: number of found sessions, search type, date of the report generation, types of sessions, host names, activity time, and number of screen captures. Report can also include detailed information on each found session. Is it possible to export captured sessions into videos formats? Yes, it is possible to export screen captures of the separate session in the video format to your computer. In the Ekran System Monitor, right-click the target session and select Export. Video is exported in the *.avi format. Is it possible to export a separate screen capture? Sure, you are able to save the needed screen captures separately. What is the approximate size of one screen capture? The size of one screen capture depends on its bit depth and display resolution on investigated computer. In average, size of 4 bits screen capture with 1280*1024 display resolution is 10 KB. Is there a maximum duration of the opened live session? Yes, the maximum duration of one session is 24 hours. After that the current session is terminated and a new live session starts automatically. Why was an opened live session terminated? There are two main reasons for the live session termination: Each live session is automatically terminated at 00:00. After its termination, the new live session automatically starts. If the user turns off the PC with the Ekran System Client installed, the live session is automatically terminated. How can I set screen captures color depth parameters? It is possible to set screen captures color depth parameters via the Administrative Panel by selecting the needed host under the Ekran System Clients item.at the moment, the color depth can be 4 bits (Grayscale), 8 bits, and 24 bits.
Is it possible to adjust screen captures making periodicity? It is possible to set screen captures making periodicity via the Administrative Panel by selecting the needed host under the Ekran System Clients item. At the moment, there are the following triggers: screen captures making periodicity, active window change, window name change, mouse clicking or key pressing, and keystrokes logging. Why some of screen captures are blank? There are two possible reasons of blank screen captures: If a user types something continuously, stops typing, and then switches to desktop after the 3 seconds period, the keystrokes will be attached to a blank screen capture. If a user accesses the Client computer via the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and minimizes the Remote Desktop Connection window, a blank screen capture is created. If the monitored user clicks the mouse very often, wouldn t Ekran System create too many screen captures? Ekran System has a set period of 3 seconds for creating screen captures on mouse click. That is why you always receive a balanced number of screen captures. Several triggers occurred at the same time. Would I receive a screen capture on each trigger? Yes, you will definitely receive a screen capture on each trigger. These screen captures will be slightly different as they are made in sequence. Is it possible to set notifications about certain types of events to be monitored? Ekran System provides you with Alerts that are able to notify investigator about a specific user activity. For example, you can adjust to receive Alerts when the user runs a certain application, opens a specific website, types specific keywords, or even when a certain user starts performing any kind of activity, etc. Such notifications can be created via the Administrative panel. Where can I receive Alert notifications? It is possible to receive Alerts in the form of tray notifications or by email. In addition, Ekran System marks Alert screen captures with a special sign for performing much more quicker searches.
System Requirements What server-side operating systems does Ekran System support? The Ekran System Server supports Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. The Ekran System Monitor supports Windows Server 2003, 2008, and newer. The Ekran System Client supports Windows Server 2003, 2008, and newer. What client-side operating systems does Ekran System support? The Ekran System Server supports Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7 (any edition except Home), 8, 8.1. The Ekran System Monitor supports Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1. The Ekran System Client supports Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1. What SQL versions does Ekran System support? At the moment, Ekran System supports MS SQL 2008/2012 versions. Is it possible to install Ekran System without installing MS SQL Server? You are able to use Ekran System using the Firebird database. What components does the Ekran System consist of? The Ekran System consists of the Ekran System Server (for storing screen captures), the Ekran System Monitor (for viewing monitored data from the investigated computers), and the Ekran System Client (creates screen captures and sends them to the Server). Are there any limitations in the number of computers that can be monitored by Ekran System? No, there are no limitations in the number of computers monitored by the Ekran System. It depends only on the number purchased licenses. Where does Ekran System store captured screens? It depends on what type of database the user selects during the Ekran System installation. If the user selects the MS SQL Server, consequently, all captured data is stored on this Server. If the
users selects the Firebird database, all captured data is stored in the storage located in the Firebird database folder. Is the recorded data by the Ekran System Client protected? It is recommended to install the MS SQL Server 2008/2012 for secure storage of recorded data. What is the Ekran System Client principle of work? The Ekran System Client can be installed remotely or locally on the target computer. After its installation the Client begins to capture user s activity.the Ekran System Client makes screen captures on the certain user actions (for example, active window change, key pressing, mouse clicking, etc.).you are able to adjust the needed user action or screen capture making periodicity just the way you need. All captured data is sent for storage to the Server. If there is no connection with the Server, monitoring continues working: data is saved on the Client computer and as soon as connection to the Server appears all captured data is sent again to the Server. Is it possible to use Windows Authentication to communicate with the SQL Server? This feature is not available in the current version of Ekran System. In the Administrative Panel, I can assign roles to Administrators and Supervisors. What is the difference between these two roles? Administrators are able to open both the Administrative Panel for configuring Clients parameters, assigning roles to other users, adding Alerts, assigning licenses to hosts; and the Ekran System Monitor for viewing screen captures and performing searches. Supervisors are able to open only the Ekran System Monitor. What type of sessions is it possible to capture and record using Ekran System? Ekran System captures and records Local, Terminal Services Client, and Remote Desktop sessions. What kind of metadata is it possible to capture using Ekran System? Ekran System captures screenshots together with the following types of metadata: user name, host name, keystrokes, application name, active window title, and activity time. Due to this metadata you are able to perform searches to find the needed information quickly. What types of user activity is it possible to record using Ekran System?
Ekran System is a powerful tool for recording all types of user activities, including key pressing, mouse clicking, active window changing, etc. It is also possible to record users keystrokes and after that perform searches in them. You are able to set the definite period (30 seconds as minimum) of screen captures making and get screenshot even when there is no user activity at all. Is there any type of user activity that Ekran System does not record? Ekran System records all types of user activities. Due to the ability to set the periodicity of screen captures making, you will receive records even when there is no user activity at all. I don t need to capture screenshots each time when the user changes active window. Can I adjust screenshots capture settings? Ekran System provides you with a highly customizable screen capture parameters. You are able to adjust them via the Administrative Panel. Thus, it is possible to make screen captures only with a certain period (without any user action), or only on key pressing/mouse clicking, active window changing, renaming window name. In addition, you can also set the needed bit depth for screen captures. How many screen captures per second does Ekran System make? Ekran System makes screen capture on user activities, including active window change, window renaming, mouse clicking or key pressing. In addition, you are able to adjust periodicity of screen capture making that doesn t depend on the user action. The minimum value of such periodicity can be 30 seconds. Does Ekran System record keys pressed by the user? Ekran System provides you with keystrokes logging feature that can be optionally enabled. It records letters typed by the user along with other pressed keys (for example, shift, enter, etc.).
Ekran System Installation How can I deploy Ekran System? Use the Getting Started guide for instructions on quick Ekran System deployment. How can I update Ekran System? A new version of Ekran System installs over the previous version. All configurations remain the same.after you update the Ekran System Server, Ekran System Clients will be automatically updated. How much disk space does the Ekran System Client requires for its installation? It is recommended to have 100 MB of free disk space for correct Ekran System Client installation. How much CPU does the Ekran System Client use? The Ekran System Client uses not more than 5% of CPU in the period of activity (screen capture creation). When there is no activity, the Ekran System Client doesn t use CPU at all. How much RAM does the Ekran System Client use? The Ekran System Client uses approximately from 20 MB to 25 MB of memory. Is it possible to backup Ekran System data? It is possible to backup Ekran system data by means of the MS SQL Server or the Firebird database.
Ekran System Configuration Where can I perform Ekran System administration? Ekran System provides you with an easy-to-use Administrative Panel where you are able to assign roles to users, install Clients on hosts, assign licenses, and much more. Where can I change Ekran System configuration parameters? Ekran System provides you with an easy-to use Administrative Panel where you are able to change configuration parameters the way you need and apply them quickly. I have changed Ekran System configuration parameters. How much time does it take them to be applied? If you have changed Ekran System configuration parameters, new parameters are applied immediately. I want to control users access to the Administrative Panel and the Ekran System Monitor. How can I do that? Ekran System provides you with the possibility of assigning roles to users. This operation is performed via the Administrative Panel.There are two types of users: Administrator and Supervisor. Administrators have access both to the Administrative Panel and the Ekran System Monitor, while Supervisors have access only to the Ekran System Monitor.